Clinton Presidential Park Bridge on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Library

Blues, barbecue, sports and the great outdoors

Known as The Natural State for stunning mountain vistas and clear running streams, Arkansas is so much more. Cities like Little Rock, Hot Springs and Bentonville offer a cosmopolitan feel, while a visit to one-of-a-kind Eureka Springs will stay with you for a lifetime. The Delta region is where the blues were born and Johnny Cash’s musical journey began. Bill Clinton, another Arkansas son, also launched his political path in the state, and sites commemorating the legacies of both Cash and Clinton can be toured today. Arkansas is also the rice capital of the world and home to one of only three purse museums on the planet. Throw in Crater of Diamonds State Park, where you can dig for real diamonds and keep what you find, and Arkansas truly is a unique treasure to discover.

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From its rugged mountains and rolling rapids to its historic small towns, caves and mines, Arkansas’s landscape reflects the scenic variety of this part of the USA, all the way down to its Delta. While it may be known for the verdant Ozarks and mighty rivers running through the bluffs, it’s also one of the birthplaces of blues, jazz and folk. The Delta blues tradition – and the much-boasted-about fact that Johnny Cash was born here – is alive and well in the towns and cities where it began, especially Helena and Little Rock. Hear folk music on the banjo and fiddle, country blues played in the original style or tour Cash’s boyhood home.

Experience both natural and musical landmarks on a road trip along one of a dozen scenic byways; start with Hot Springs to Eureka Springs. Along the way, visit Washington State Park to learn what it was like to live as a pioneer or head to the Museum of Native American History to see pottery and tools left by Arkansas’s earliest people.

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Fun Fact

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In 1985, Arkansas made the fiddle its official state instrument in honor of its folk music tradition.

Must see places

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

See the world’s largest collection of American artwork in this Moshe Safdie-designed museum set squarely in Arkansas’s pastoral wilderness.

Ozark Mountains

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Hot Springs National Park

These thermal springs, 47 in all, flow from Hot Springs Mountain to create “The American Spa.” Stop by the modern bathhouse for a soak in them or just enjoy the beautiful vapors rising up into the trees.

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Blanchard Springs Caverns

Below Ozark National Forest, explore a network of caves created by springs, each one saturated with color, studded with crystalline formations or crawling with critters like the salamander. Two levels are open to the public, but to go as low as possible, take the Discovery Tour 112 meters below the surface.

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Garvan Woodland Gardens

The extensive botanical garden, located at the University of Arkansas, is devoted to preserving and showcasing the Ouachita landscape. Features include a canopy bridge, promenades, lawns and even a model train garden.